Nigerian President Bola Tinubu held a meeting on Sunday evening at the State House in Abuja with governors from five states that share a border with Niger Republic. The gathering was part of the President’s consultations on the political situation in Niger.
The attending governors were Ahmed Aliyu (Sokoto), Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Mai Malam Buni (Yobe), Idris Nasir (Kebbi), and Dr. Dikko Radda (Katsina).
This meeting followed the Nigerian Senate’s call for Tinubu to seek political and diplomatic solutions to the crisis in Niger. President Tinubu had previously written to the Senate, requesting support for ECOWAS’ resolution, which included the possibility of military action.
The Senate cautioned against rash actions and advised ECOWAS and its leaders to prioritize political and diplomatic means to resolve the political turmoil in Niger Republic.
The meeting with the governors, which took place at the temporary residence of President Tinubu in the State House, was likely convened to gather input from these Northern Governors as the seven-day ultimatum for the military in Niger Republic to reinstate the deposed President expired.
ECOWAS had issued a seven-day ultimatum to the military junta that overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum, demanding the restoration of the ousted leader. ECOWAS continues to recognize Bazoum as the legitimate President of Niger and has imposed sanctions, including border closures and a no-fly zone.
Furthermore, ECOWAS suspended all commercial and financial transactions between its member states and Niger, as well as service transactions, including energy transactions.
In the event that ECOWAS’ demands were not met within one week, the authority indicated its willingness to take necessary measures to restore constitutional order in Niger Republic. The regional body also deemed the detention of President Bazoum and his family as a hostage situation, holding the authors of the attempted coup fully responsible for their safety and security.